Medical_Sociology

The impact of many epidemic disease c is linked to social and economic factors around Africa which Ghana is not an exception. Disease caused by bacteria, virus, fungi and other disease causing parasite are major causes of disease and disability despite the existence of safe and effective interventions many people lack access to needed prevention methods and treatment of epidemic diseases due to social and economic conditions prevalent in Ghana today. According to Rudolf Virchow(1847),”Social and economic conditions are the primary causes of the epidemic of Typhoid Fever”. This piece of work seek to justify the assertion by Rudolf Virchow that social economic conditions are the primary causes of the epidemic of Typhoid Fever in present day Ghana. Typhoid Fever is caused by the Salmonellae Typhi bacteria. It is contracted by the ingestion of food or eater. The bacteria are deposited in water or food by the human carrier and re then spread to other people in the area The question is what are the economic and social conditions in Ghana today that causes the spread of the epidemic of Typhoid Fever. The major contributory social factor for the spread of ten epidemic Typhoid fever is poor settlement places. The poor people are often forced to areas not suitable for human habitation where they are exposed to pollution from solid and liquid waste. Liquid and solid wastes are deposited at residential areas in Ghana today without any proper provision made to reduce the spread of epidemic disease which include the typhi bacteria. For example no provision for areas with high table(typically in coastal areas) surface and ground water pollution takes place and may lead to the spread of water borne disease such as Typhoid Fever. Also the problem of portable drinking water is a major problem in Ghana today. How many people have access to treated water in Ghana today' This is a problem to both rural and urban folks. The inability of people to have portable water compels them to use all kinds of water that are not safe for human consumption. The result will be the spread of water borne disease which includes Typhoid Fever. Water for human consumption is taken from unsafe sources and are stored in containers that are not proper for human consumption. A report released in 2006 at the 13th congress of the African Water Association (AFWA) in Algiers capital of Algeria warned that one third of African population has no drinking water and almost half of the African population has health problems due to the lack of drinking water. For example fuel tanks are used to convey water to places that will be consumed by people. But because the people who use them do not have any available option they are forced to use it with out thinking about the health implications. Further more there is the lack of supervision on the part of the state to ensure the inspection and screening of food vendors. Now days there are many people selling along the road side without the proper authorization to do so. The problem is that if these food vendors are carriers of the typhi bacteria they can pass the bacteria to the customer when the food comes into contact with the bacteria. Not talk of it, it is the conditions and places where they sell their food .In 2006 the food and drugs board (FDB) report showed that 90,692 people die from food and hygiene related illness in the country which include Typhoid Fever. People sell to choked and filthy gutters which are a major transmitter of the typhi bacteria. Flies that settle on these gutters go directly to the food that is patronized by the people which brings about the spread of typhoid fever. On the other side is the economic condition that makes for the spread of typhoid fever. The purchasing power of most Ghanaians are so low that they cannot afford to buy from places that maintain high standard of hygeine.Most Ghanaians are very poor to the extent that the condition that they eat are not up to the set standard and these places are notable for the spread of epidemic such as Typhoid Fever. Moreover the economic aspect of this issue relates to the facilities that one have at their places of residence. Many people do not have toilet facilities in their houses and are compelled to use other means like defecating in gutter and along road side and in drainages and rivers. Even if the toilet facility is available in the house the number of people who it is also another issue. These problems are the major causes of the spread of Typhoid Fever in Ghana today. Here, the issue of water for the washing of hands after using the toilet facility is not available since most stand pipe do not flow at various places. Again most Ghanaians cannot afford to buy sanitizer which is a substitute for soapy water in the washing of hands. How much does the average Ghanaian earn today in order for him or her to afford such things which will significantly reduce the spread of Typhoid Fever in Ghana. The economic status of many people in Ghana are so poor that the basic thing that can protect him or her from coming into contact with the Typhi bacteria is not readily accessible and available. In addition to this the number of slumps that have sprung up in Ghana is numerous. These standards are very poor to the extent that their chances of contracting the epidemic of Typhoid Fever are high but because of the economic conditions they have no option but to live there. These places do not have good source of drinking water they live along big drainage and refuse dump. An example is Asawasi Zongo in Kumasi. These places do not have toilet facilities so the issue of hygiene is of serious concern. Due to this the outbreak of the epidemic of Typhoid Fever is high among the inhabitants. Even when they are diagnosed with the disease the money for the treatment will not be available hence they live within the community and the chances of spreading to other people is very high. Even some people continue to be carriers of the typhi bacteria after treatment and may continue to spread to other people depending on their standard of living and hygiene practice. From the above, conclusion can be drawn on the basis of clear evidence that the causes of Typhoid Fever which include the intake of contaminated water is high among a large number of present day Ghanaians due to unavailable access to portable drinking water, the lack of inspection by sanitary inspectors over food vendors on behalf of the state, poor food hygiene, improper toilet facilities in their homes, meager income and the issue of slums that have sprang up with it accompanying problem. These social and economic problems affirm Rudolph Virchow’s assertion that, “Social and Economic conditions are the major causes of the epidemic Typhoid Fever” which is also true for the causes of the epidemic of Typhoid Fever in Ghana Today. References www.medicinenet.com/--/ page 2 htm www.ghanabusiness.com.> home www.ghanaweb.com/--/blog.article.php \